Improved Oxide Cathodes for Rechargeable Batteries

Background Cordless portable electronic devices are proliferating in our mobile, fast-paced world, and they need better batteries. One way to enhance a rechargeable battery?s capacity, cycle life, and rate of charge is to develop improved oxide battery cathodes. While attempts have been made to use conducting polymers as electrode materials for rechargeable batteries, numerous disadvantages were encountered, including low specific capacity (amount of lithium per gram that can be absorbed reversibly) and wide voltage variance as a function of the charge state of the battery.

Invention Description The solution is a novel oxide cathode design that overcomes the disadvantages previously encountered and successfully enhances a rechargeable battery?s capacity, cycle life, and rate of charge. For example, the invention?s integrated materials engineering approach improves the reliability of lithium ion batteries while enabling new lithium ion batteries to weigh less and recharge faster than present lithium ion batteries of the same charge capacity. Alternatively, the invention enables new lithium ion batteries to power portable electronic devices for longer periods of time than present lithium ion batteries of the same weight.

Reduces overvoltages at high discharge rates Does not require extensive design revisions to rechargeable batteries as a whole Technology is applicable to any rechargeable battery that uses oxide cathodes

Market Potential/Applications Rechargeable batteries, like the popular lithium ion variety, are used in a host of portable electronic devices including laptop computers, digital video recorders, and cordless power tools. The target market consists of the manufacturers of rechargeable batteries with oxide cathodes, particularly the manufacturers of lithium ion rechargeable batteries.

Development Stage Lab/bench prototype

IP Status Three foreign patent application filed

UT Researcher John B. Goodenough, Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin Kyu-Sung Park, Materials Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin Steen Schougaard, Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin